Graham Norton made the joke on his February 4 show
(Picture: Dave Benett)The BBC has defended Graham Norton after he made a joke about Ukraine on his chat show.
During the opening segment of his BBC One show, which aired on February 4, the presenter described Ukraine as “southwest Russia”.
Commenting on Mr Johnson’s trip, Norton, 58 said: “This week, he flew off to Ukraine — or if you’re watching on catch-up TV, he flew off to southwest Russia.”
Following the joke, some Brits took to Twitter to claim the comment had been in poor taste as tensions remain high between Russia and Ukraine.
Not only did they claim the joke had been in bad taste but some Brits also called for Norton to apologise.
In response, a statement from the BBC said Norton did not intend to cause offence.
As reported by The Times, the statement read: “We appreciate the seriousness of the current situation there and can assure you there was no intention to cause any offence with these remarks.
“Comedy is one of the most subjective areas of programming and while no subject is off limits we appreciate that some jokes may resonate differently for those with personal experience of a particular situation.”
Despite talks with Russian officials and President Vladimir Putin, there are fears Ukraine will be invaded as soon as this week.
Both the UK and the US have evacuated embassy staff from Kyiv, while both have also warned nationals from the two countries to leave Ukraine immediately.
Western allies are now drawing up sanctions against Russia if the state does invade Ukraine.
Boris Johnson also called on Russia to “step back” from the precipice of conflict ahead of his call with Joe Biden on Monday.
He said: “We are on an edge of a precipice but there is still time for President Putin to step back.
“We're urging everybody to engage in dialogue and for the Russian government to avoid what would be a disastrous mistake for Russia.”
The Standard has approached the BBC for comment.
